The present invention relates generally to stretch releasing adhesive tapes for removably adhesively bonding an item to a surface. More particularly, the present invention relates to a stretch releasing adhesive article that includes a bundling strap for bundling wires, cables, or the like.
Stretch releasing adhesive tapes represent an emerging class of high performance pressure-sensitive adhesives combining strong holding power with clean removal and no surface damage. Such stretch releasing adhesive tapes are useful in a wide variety of assembling, joining, attaching, and mounting applications.
Commercial stretch releasing adhesive tapes include the product sold under the trade designation COMMAND by Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company, St. Paul, Minn., and the product sold under the trade designation POWER-STRIPS by Beiersdorf AG, Hamburg, Germany. These products are currently manufactured as strips with one end of the strip including a non-adhesive pull tab to facilitate stretching of the strip during the removal process.
A common use for stretch releasing adhesive tapes is for mounting a hook on a surface such as a wall, window, cabinet, or the like. Examples of stretch releasing adhesive tape articles including hooks are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,409,189 (Lxc3xchmann), U.S. Pat. No. 5,507,464 (Hamerski et al.), U.S. Pat. No. 5,989,708 (Kreckel), U.S. Pat. No. 6,082,686 (Schumann), and U.S. Pat. No. 6,131,864 (Schumann). While having their own utility, such articles are not particularly well suited for certain applications such as bundling and mounting cables, wires, or the like, or for other applications requiring a closed loop.
It would therefore be desirable to provide an article for use with stretch releasing adhesive tapes that includes an elongate flexible strap that can be repeatably attached to itself to form a closed loop. Such an article is suited for bundling and mounting cables, wires, or the like, or for other hanging or mounting applications that lend themselves to the use of a closable strap.
The present invention provides a stretch releasing adhesive tape article including a stretch releasing adhesive tape having opposed major adhesive surfaces, a base plate attached to one adhesive surface, and an elongate flexible strap connected with the base plate that can be attached to itself to form a closed loop.
The particular means selected to attach the strap to itself is not significant to the invention hereof, so long as it provides the desired function. In a particular aspect, the strap can be repeatably attached to itself. Such an article is particularly useful for fastening a group of objects together, such as cables, wires, or the like, and mounting them on a surface, such as a wall surface.
The strap may be attached to itself using a variety of techniques including adhesives, mechanical fasteners having a single protrusion-receptor pair such as the common snap, hook and loop fasteners, self-mating profile extruded fasteners having a plurality of intermeshing or interengaging elements or fasteners such as mushroom shaped fasteners elements, or other known fasteners. In addition, the strap may be a cable tie having conventional cable tie-like fasteners.
In one embodiment, the present invention provides a stretch releasing adhesive tape article to be mounted on a substrate, such as a wall surface, using a stretch releasing adhesive tape strip that has an adhesive portion and a non-adhesive pull tab. The article includes a base plate and a flexible elongate bundling strap. The base plate has a first major surface adapted for attachment to the adhesive portion of the stretch releasing adhesive strip, a second opposed major surface, and first and second ends.
The flexible elongate bundling strap has a first portion, a second portion, and first and second opposed major surfaces. The bundling strap first portion first surface is attached to the base plate second surface and the bundling strap second portion extends beyond the base plate second end. The bundling strap second portion second surface includes a mating surface having a plurality of outwardly projecting fastening elements, wherein the bundling strap second portion can be arranged around at least one item and the mating surface can be folded back and connected to itself, thereby forming a closed loop. In addition, the bundling strap first portion second surface may include fastening elements.
The mating surface may include a region of hook type fastening elements and a region of loop type fastening elements, a self-mating surface, adhesive, or other connection means.
In another embodiment, the bundling strap includes a third portion extending from the bundling strap first portion opposite the bundling strap second portion. One or both opposed major surfaces of the bundling strap third portion may include fastening elements.
In one aspect of the invention, the base plate is elongated along a longitudinal axis collinear with the bundling strap elongated axis. In another aspect, the bundling strap first portion may be attached to a portion of the base plate second surface adjacent the base plate first end, or at a location intermediate the base plate first and second ends. The bundling strap may be attached to the base plate adhesively, ultrasonically welded, or by using other known techniques including mechanical fasteners. The bundling strap may also be rotatably or re-connectably attached to the base plate. Alternatively, the bundling strap and base plate may be extruded as a single unitary piece.
In another embodiment, the bundling strap first portion includes a portion that is attached to the base plate second surface and a portion adjacent the attached portion that overlays the base plate second surface. The overlaying portion contains an opening. In addition, the bundling strap first portion has a first width and the bundling strap second portion has a width narrower than the first width that is capable of passing though the opening. In this way, the bundling strap second portion can be reverse folded toward the base plate and wrapped around at least one item, arranged through the opening, and connected with the bundling strap first portion to form a closed loop.
In a specific embodiment, the present invention provides a stretch releasing adhesive tape article for bundling and mounting items on a substrate that includes a stretch releasing adhesive tape strip, a rigid elongate base plate formed of polypropylene and having a thickness of at least 0.01 inches, and a flexible elongate bundling strap. The adhesive tape strip includes an adhesive portion and a non-adhesive pull tab. The elongate base plate includes a first major surface that adheres to the stretch releasing adhesive tape strip adhesive portion, an opposed second major surface, and first and second ends. The flexible elongate bundling strap includes a first portion, a second portion, and first and second opposed major surfaces. The bundling strap first portion is attached to a portion of the base plate second surface intermediate the base plate first and second ends, and a second portion extends beyond the base plate second end. The bundling strap second portion second surface includes a self-mating surface having a plurality of fastening elements projecting there from, wherein the bundling strap second portion can be arranged around at least one item and the mating surface can be folded back and connected to itself, thereby forming a closed loop.